After hours of going back and forth between leaning over and laying under the Mini, I finally figured out the Racing Dynamics catless downpipe just will not fit. The holes for the O2 sensors do not line up with the bolts in the heat shield. The downstream hole is off by a full 2 inches. The holes on the mounting bracket are too close together, so they won't fit over the bolts. And, even if the bolts would fit through the holes, when adjusted to the end of the slots, the downpipe is still almost an inch from the turbo.

Now I'm sitting here dirty and tired trying to decide with all that is wrong with it, should I get them to replace it, or just send it back and order a Milltek.

 

I contacted Racing dynamics and explained the issues. Their response was as follows:

We just completed quality control installations of several randomly selected catless and catted downpipes for the Gen III MINI. We installed them all without issue. We have the knowledge, experience and tools to do the job without issue. If your professional installer possesses all three, they should not have had a concern either.

So, basically they said "We looked at some here and there was nothing wrong with them, so there is nothing wrong with yours, and if you had any skill you would be able to install it." This is the most condescending response I have ever gotten from a customer service department.

This is the third part I have bought from Racing Dynamics, and the second part to have a problem. When I installed their intercooler, the air guides on the front of it interfered with reinstalling the grill. Fortunately I was able to slightly modify the guides to allow the grill to fit back on, but I should not have had to do that. So, for Racing Dynamics, this is 2 parts out of 3 that have had an issue. Buyer beware.

 

That is really bad customer service, but you get what you pay for, I guess... After that response, I might be tempted to follow up with "Hey, that's great! Send me one of those, and I'll send this one back."

 

I agree that you get what you pay for, but I didn't buy this from Temu or Alibaba. An, it's not like it was 1/2 the price of the competitors. It was more than $300 and only a little cheaper than the Milltek, or the Armytrix.

 

"Hey, that's great! Send me one of those, and I'll send this one back."

Yeah, I kinda like that handle... folks shouldn't dish out snark if they can't do fair trade in it, so fling it right back at 'em

 

I am pretty sure RD is now a zombie brand that peddles customized alibaba junk, making sales off brand recognition.

They might still make some of their old stuff, but they haven't developed anything new in a long time.